OREANDA-NEWS. December 13, 2013. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) imposed fined over 2billion Rubles fines upon 11 rolling stock operators for concluding an anticompetitive agreement that restricted entry to and divided the market of services for providing open cars for transporting coal from the Kemerovo region.

On 5th September 2013, FAS found that Kemerovo Regional Authority, “Russian Railways” OJSC and 16 rolling stock operators violated the Law “On Protection of Competition” in the part of concluding an anticompetitive agreement between the authorities and economic entities.

The FAS Commission established that in October 2011 Kemerovo Regional Authority, “Russian Railways” OJSC and some rolling stock operators organized meeting under an excuse of combating “bottlenecks” on railway tracks. At the meeting they decided to apply administrative methods to reduce the number of companies providing cars for transporting coal from railway stations in Kuzbass. As a result of the agreement, the number of participants of the market of operating services in the Kemerovo region was supposed to go down from 230 to 16.

“All companies that participated in the cartel and their executives as well as the top officers of Kemerovo Regional Authority will be held liable. The remaining administrative cases are being initiated and investigated and will be considered in the near future”, pointed out Deputy Head of FAS Alexander Kinev.

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FAS fined the following rolling stock operators: “Federal Freight Company” OJSC, “Independent Transport Company” Ltd. “First Freight Company” OJSC, “New Transportation Company” OJSC, “NefteTransService” CJSC, “Novotrans” Transport Company” Ltd., “SibUgleMetTrans” Ltd., “RG-Trans” Ltd., “ZapSibTransService” Ltd., “SUEK” OJSC and “Mechel-Trans” Ltd.